Multiculturalism and the legacy of colonialism

Abstract

Chapter Four examines women’s experiences of menstruation, childbirth, and the menopause, in women’s writing from Mauritius. It argues that in Mauritian literature, the female body is often framed within the tensions and inequalities that exist in the multicultural society of Mauritius. Through its portrayal of the female fertility cycle, Mauritian literature highlights the class divide between Indo-Mauritian Hindus and Creoles. Representations of the female body in Mauritian women’s writing expose the disaffection of the Creole class over whom hangs the legacy of colonialism. Issues of class, race, and poverty, are intertwined in the portrayal of Creole characters, thereby illustrating that female bodily experience can be shaped by a complex network of issues even within the same national context. Mauritian literature also considers the impact of religion and wider political issues on the female body. In addition, female corporeality is used to disrupt the touristic image of Mauritius as an island paradise. This chapter focuses on novels by Ananda Devi and Shenaz Patel.